Fighting off 'donor fatigue' in Greenwich

Eve Sullivan

Published 11:52 pm, Saturday, May 18, 2013

Spectators view the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich eighth annual Swim-A-Thon at the club in Greenwich, Saturday morning, Feb. 23, 2013. Swim instructor, Victor Prokopowicz, said the club hoped to raise $20,000 from the event to support the club's aquatic programs.
Photo: Bob Luckey

Homes along Dawn Harbor Lane are lit up as part of a countywide initiative for the Family Centers' Hope Lights Lives luminary campaign benefiting the Den for Grieving Kids and other Family Center programs in Greenwich, Conn., Dec. 16, 2012. The programs offer critical support and counseling for people experiencing illness and loss.
Photo: Keelin Daly

Raising funds for nonprofits in Greenwich is usually a challenge, but things are expected to be even more difficult this year.

In the last six months, three major incidents in the Northeast tugged at the heartstrings and purse strings of local residents, which may translate to less money for local organizations.

"We are competing with New York and unforeseen disasters, such as Storm Sandy and Sandy Hook," said Jim Vivier, vice president of Family Centers, a Greenwich-based organization offering education, health and human services to families in Fairfield County. "You do have donor fatigue."

Even before the incidents, Vivier said this was always an "incredibly competitive environment" for fundraising. Another issue nonprofits are facing is the slump in the economy that started in 2008 and continues to be a problem for many.

"People in the community are a lot more in need of assistance, so that means people in nonprofits have a challenge," he said.

Family Centers covers several causes, including day care services for low-income families and health care for children through school-based health centers. This can cause confusion and people go learn toward narrowly focused charities, Vivier said.

These days, Vivier said, Family Centers relies on long-term supporters, who continue to donate money and be the organization's biggest cheerleaders. He said it's difficult to engage new donors.

"The primary opportunity we see around fundraising is new businesses in the area that want to make a community connection and do it through a good cause," Vivier said.

Family Centers has offices in Greenwich, Stamford and Darien and more than 2,200 professionals and trained volunteers a year working together to provide a wide range of programs. It has an organizational budget of about $11 million and needs to raise $3 million a year. The remaining $8 million comes from fees, such as those for day care.

The organization has two of its major fundraisers this month -- a luncheon in Darien to support the Center for Hope on May 20 and "Gatsby on the Sound," a black-tie event at a private residence in Greenwich on May 31. Through sponsors, ticket sales and raffles, including a raffle for a green 1951 MG-TD Roadster, the black tie event is expected to raise about $600,000.

Stuart Adelberg, president and chief executive of the United Way of Greenwich, said the agency needs to raise $2.5 million to $3 million a year, with a major portion of the funds going toward other organizations that provide community services.

Every couple of years, Adelberg said the organization writes a "needs assessment" to define what is needed in the community.

"There are several areas in need that we are focused on," Adelberg said.

Some of those needs are education, teen issues, the senior population, those who are unemployed or under-employed, and people who were counting on retiring and living off their investments, the chief executive said.

"It continues to be a struggle," Adelberg said of their fundraising efforts. "We went down during the recession and we're trying to get back."

Adelberg said a lot of people that weren't able to give during the recession are coming back, but not at the same level. If people aren't comfortable with their own finances, it's hard for them to donate, he said.

Kathy Seiden, director of development at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, said people are continuing to maintain the donation levels that they have for the past few years, particularly individual donors.

Seiden said agency officials are trying to get parents and alumni involved with fundraisers, such as the production of "Cinderella" the center hosted during the first week of May. She said the money raised from the show goes toward the drama program.

The Boys & Girls Club offers an after-school program that serves 320 to 350 students a day and includes ice skating, swimming and academic support. An evening program serves another 150 students, for a total of 500 youngsters a day.

The club also has two summer camps, one at the club, with indoor activities and field sports, and the other on Lake Avenue, with outdoor events such as canoeing, fishing, arts and crafts, and more.

Though the club does charge members to take part in activities, Seiden said the organization has to raise $3.5 million a year to stay afloat.

"We have high hopes," she said. "Our fiscal year ends at the end of June and we're looking to be on track."